Folding harrow.



J. MASON.

FOLDING HARROW.

APPLICATION rum: 12.4, 1913.

1 ,088,788. Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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[J anoento'c J Mason,

EMU L J. MASON.

FOLDING HARROW.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.4, 191s.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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JAMES MASON, 0F ELKHORN, WISCONSIN.

FOLDING HARROW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed April 4, 1913. Serial No. 758,904.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES MASON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elkhorn, in the county of W'alworth and State of lVisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding lilarrows;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in harrows and hasreference to that type of such devices known as the folding wingharrows.

As its principal. object this invention contemplates the provision ofsimple yet effective means for supporting the wings in their foldedposition.

A further object of this invention resides in the construct-ion of thesupportin means with such regard to proportion, number and arrangementof parts that the device may be readily applied to any harrow ofstandard type without requiring any alterations in the various parts ofthe implement.

A yet further object is to provide a useful improvement in the draftappliances for harrows of the folding wing type and to construct thedevice in such manner that it is collapsible and may be readily foldedto correspond with the various positions as sumed by the folding membersof the harrow.

A still further object is to arrange the draft appliances so that anequal pull is exerted on each section of the harrow.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means asareillustrated in the accompanying drawings, described 1n the followingspecification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims whichare appended hereto and form a part of this application.

lVith reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated thepreferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, andthroughout the several views of which similar reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a top plan view. Fig. 2 is afront elevation with the wing sections of the harrow in folded position.Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 1 is a detailview of the means employed in detachably connecting the draft appliancesto the harrow.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings my invention includestwo main elements, the wing supporting members and the draft appliance.Before taking up the description of these elements, a brief descriptionof the harrow to which they are applied is submitted.

The harrow includes three sections designated as entireties in Fig. 1 bythe numerals 1, 2 and 3. The center section 2 carries the wingsupporting members and is arranged for engagement with the ground at alltimes. The conventional harrow tooth adjusting mechanism is illustratedin the various views and designated in each instance as an entirety bythe numeral 5, this feature of the harrow forming no part of thisinvention but being included in the drawings to clearly disclose themost important feature of this invention which is the fact that the wingsupporting means may be applied to any type of harrow, withoutnecessitating a change in the structure thereof.

Coming now to the description of the wing supporting means thisstructure includes a pair of supporting frames mounted in spacedrelation on the center section 2 of the harrow and disposed laterallythereon with respect to the longitudinal axis of the assembled sections.Each frame member preferably consists of a lower cross beam 6, which ispreferably made of strap iron, although any other desired and suitablematerial may be employed, pivotally secured at spaced intervals as at 7to the vertical log of a T-shaped angle iron 8 bolted or otherwisesecured to the frame members 9 of the harrow. Extending upwardly andvertically from the lower beam member 6 and adjacent the terminalsthereof are a pair of strap iron supporting legs 10, the upper free endsof which carry a wing supporting beam 11 which may be bolted orotherwise secured to the members 10, as at 12. The wing supporting beam11 is preferably formed of hard wood scantling but may of course be madeof any material desired. As a means for bracing each supporting beam 11I employ an angularly inwardly directed strap iron leg 13, the upper endof which is secured to the member 11 and approximately midway thereof,and the lower end of which secured to a frame member of the harrow andat a point approximately midway between the two frame members. It isdesirable to emphasize at this point, the advan tage resulting from thesupporting of these frames by pivotal connection, as at 7, to the framemembers 9 of the harrow. This method of mounting the frames permits theready adjustment of the members 9 by the adjusting mechanism 5, andprovides an effective way of attaching the wing supporting frames in anytype of harrow without necessitating a change in any features ofconstruction in the harrow.

The construction of the supporting means for the wing members being thusdisclosed, the draft appliance is taken up as next in order. In thisconnection I employ three draft beams 1d, 15 and 16, the members lt and16 being hingedly connected. to the member 15 as at 17 by counter-sunkhinges which clasp draft beams firmly. As a means for detachablyconnecting the draft beams to the harrow sections I employ a pluralityof pivotally mounted hook members 18 secured in pairs to the sections 1,2 and 3 of the harrow, and to the forward frame members 9 thereof. Thesehook members are arranged for detachable engagement with the rings 19 ofthe connecting links 20 secured in any desired manner to the draft beams14;, 15 and 16. In order to permit the ready adjustment of a double treeto the draft beam members and to provide a device of this characterwhich will equalize the pull exerted upon. the three sections of theharrow, I employ a center draft iron 21 connected to the center draftbeam 15 by a ring 22, and a pair of angularly extending draft irons 23and 2 1, secured at one end to the draft beams 16 and 1%, respectively,by a ring connection 25, and connected at their other end to the centerdraft iron 21 by a universal ring 26, to which the double tree hook maybe readily attached. The draft irons 23 and 241 are provided with a link27 interposed between the ends of the draft irons at a pointapproximately opposite to the hinges 17 for a purpose to be hereinafterdisclosed.

The actual structure of the wing supporting means and the draftappliance being thus disclosed, it now remains to describe the method offolding the harrowwings to bring them in supported position and toenumerate briefly the advantages resulting from the structure I haveemployed. Briefly, the method of folding the sections 1 and 3 insupported position is as follows: The wing sections are swung upwardlyand inwardly and are disposed to assume the position indicated in Fig.2, wherein the frame members 9 of the wing sect-ions rest on the wingsupporting beam 11' of the supporting frames. It will be apparent fromthe above disclosures that the supporting frames interfere in no waywith the toot-h adjusting levers, thus making the supporting framereadily applicable to any folding harrow. It will be further observed inthis connection that when the wings are in folded position and it isdesired to withdraw the harrow teeth from engagement with the ground in,the customary manner by folding the beam members 9 upwardly, since thelower beam (5 of the supporting frame is pivotally connected as at 7 tothe members 9, these latter members may be readily adjusted in thedesired manner. When the frame members l and 3 are folded as abovedescribed the draft beams 14: and 16 assume a corresponding foldedposition, being swung upwardly with the members 1 and 3 respectively,and being held in supported position by the link connections 18, 19 and20. At this point, the function of the members 27 becomes apparent, forby the introduction of these links the folding of the draft irons 23 and24 in correspondence with the beam members 14 and 16 is effectivelyaccomplished.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention,illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, asthe preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; inadapting the harrow to passage through gates, between trees, stumps,stones or any object that would hinder a forward movement of the harrownot folded. Yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with theadoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize thefact that various minor changes of construction, proportion andarrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, withoutsacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A harrow including a center section, a pair of terminally mountedwing sections, means carried by the said center section for supportingthe said wing sections in folded position, said center section includinglower lateral beams pivotally connected to the frame members of saidcenter section, a pair of vertical supporting legs carried by each saidlower lateral beam, a wing supporting cross beam member carried by theupper free ends of the said vertical legs and adapted to engage theframe members of the'said wing sectionsin supporting relation when thesaid wing members are in folded posi tion.

2. A harrow including a center section, a pair of wing sectionsconnected thereto, and means carried by the said center section forsupporting the said wing sections in folded position, said meansincluding a plurality of T-shaped supporting brackets secured to theframe members of said center section, lower laterally disposed crossbeams pivotally con nected to said supporting brackets, a pair ofvertically extending supporting legs mounted on each said lateral beam,Wing supporting beams secured to the said legs at the upper terminalthereof, and an angular brace for each wing supporting beam, said bracebeing secured at one end to the said Wing 10 supporting means and at theother to a frame member of the said center section.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES MASON. Witnesses:

L. W. SWAN, E. J. Hoornn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G."

